Wendy WilliamsMARBELLA Town Hall has rejected the government backed plan to search for oil and gas off the Costa del Sol.
Mayor Angeles Muñoz considers the measure ‘diametrically opposed to tourism’, and has set her Conservative PP party against the measure.
The mayor, who was voted in last year, insists it puts the environment of the area ‘in danger’ and intends to submit proposal to halt the plans.
The Costa del Sol is among a list of new areas where the central government has authorised prospecting to be carried out.
But Muñoz said: ‘It puts our coast and eco-system in danger. We cannot tolerate them playing with the future of the Costa del Sol and our coastline’.
She also laid emphasis on the many families whose livelihoods depend on tourism.
However Diego Lara from the Socialist party called their statements ‘alarmist’ and said that once again the Mayor had used the Town Hall as a ‘missile against the Government’.
He added: “Her position is totally hypocritical, I have never before seen her do anything close to safeguarding the environment our coast.
“This permission is the third of its kind to be granted in the last 10 years in the Costa del Sol.”
And he noted earlier permission had been granted when the PP was in power, namely in October 2001 when the government of Jose Maria Aznar gave permission to Conoco and in February 2004 when the PP granted permits to Repsol.
Chaves has said there will no oil exploration off the coast. Spain needs the dosh but far too risky a project when all your tourism eggs are in one basket…
This is a joke. Diego Lara is right. These people have allowed the contruction of the “concrete collar” along the cost and resist at every opportunity the construction of proper infrastructure including water treatment works on the grounds of cost, so continue to allow part treated sewage to be discharged meters from the “tourist” beaches and now they object to the creation of jobs and tax revenue at sites miles out to sea. Marbella town hall is probably short of brown envelopes and this might be away to get some.
Ben, given the appalling health and safety in Spain it would be madness to allow an oil/gas rig off the coast. If it had a blow-out, the whole coast could be unusable. Is that really worth the risk?
We all know Spain was greedy and just built low quality crap that it could sell to stupid tourists, whilst forgetting about the proper infrastructure issues. Spain has had billions of EU funds over the years, and yet today it still cannot even build sewage plants in major tourist resorts. It’s so backward it beggers belief, but this issue goes beyond what the Marbella mayor says. She has no powers anyway; the whole country is in limbo.
As far as I know PP allowed several prospections in la Costa del Sol, no one in PP said anything, the plan has been submitted for plublic debate, and there were no objection, why now? is it going to be a electoral weapon used by PP? I am aware no one wants gas or oil been extracted near as, but we all want to have our houses warm, our car full of petrol, etc. how do we combine progress and enviroment?
Unfortunately for the Costa Del Sol, its economic engine is based on tourism who come for Sand, Sun and Sea. The Sea is most critical in attracting tourists – otherwise they’d go to the Middle East (which is even less expensive!) We CANNOT afford even one environmental disaster along the Costa… like the one that happened in Galicia. The government has proven they lack the technical skills to avoid, minimize or correct such a disaster. Fortunately for the Galician coast, the FISH ultimately regenerate themselves – our Costa BEACHES DO NOT.
No to exploration… we cannot afford the risk.